By Bart Fisher

Scientists and inventors the world over had tried for many, many years to come up with a pick-proof lock. But it wasn’t until 1975 that someone actually accomplished the illusive engineering feat. That someone was 39-year-old New Britain native Walter Surko, Jr., the director of engineering for the Hardware Division of Emhart Corp.

When Surko’s invention was announced 34 years ago it was hailed as “the most radical development in the history of pin tumbler lock design.” And before the breakthrough was officially unveiled Surko’s high security locking system had undergone extensive “testing” by some of the nation’s top experts.

One of those experts, Robert J. McDermott, a retired New York City Police Department lock and burglary authority and Emhart consultant, spent at least five hours trying to pick the new device without success. McDermott demonstrated his capabilities by opening five conventional locks within 10 minutes and Emhart officials noted that he had legally picked more than 1,000 locks for law enforcement agencies during his long NYPD career. He freely admitted however that the New Britain man’s device had stymied his best efforts and predicted it would baffle “the bad guys” as well. “No one should flatly say a lock can’t be picked, but in my opinion it will be a long, long time before this one is violated, if ever.” Surko told members of the media gathered for the announcement that his lock had resisted “picking” attempts by numerous other experts as well.

The critical feature of the innovative system, according to a Herald story that quoted the inventor, was the interlocking of pin tumblers in the cylinder. The tumblers not only had to be properly raised, but also rotated to a specified angle before the lock would open. All of that could only be accomplished through the use of a special key that had angular cuts in it rather than conventional notches.

In a regular lock cylinder, Surko explained, the pins are in two sections and relatively easy to manipulate to an open position with what he called picking tools. But with the new design, interlocking the pins into one unit combined with the use of a chisel-pointed pin made it virtually impossible to use any known picking techniques.

All the more remarkable was the fact that the specially developed new key used in the high security device, was compatible with existing cylinders made by the local company, that is those sold under the Russwin and Corbin brand names. Existing keys, however, could not open the new cylinder.

Surko told the press his invention had “millions of different key and tumbler combinations.” Hardware stores and other traditional outlets for reproducing keys would not be able to duplicate the new angular cut keys, each of which was to be coded and carry and aluminum tag with the code inscribed.

In the short term, the company, which had installed specialized machinery, said all of the new keys would be made in house although plans were being developed the officials said, to allow regional key-making outlets to eventually produce the keys “so customers won’t have to keep sending the tags back to the factory.”

T. Mitchell Ford, Emhart’s president said he expected the new lock to be a “major deterrent to the most pervasive crime of all — burglary — now the second fastest growing offense to the public.”

The firm initially planned to target institutions such as hospitals, schools, health facilities, office buildings, hotels and large retail stores which obviously contained multiple (old) locks that the new temper-proof system could replace.

Surko was educated locally and earned a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Hartford. He was also a graduate of the management development program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The Herald story on his amazing new invention concluded by indicating, “He is credited with five patents related to the making of locks and other hardware, with a sixth pending. He also has United States and foreign patents pending for the high security lock system.”